Reds’ Billy Hamilton Scores From Second On Passed Ball In 9-5 Win Over Cubs

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton made a wild play by walking, stealing second and scoring on a passed ball by catcher David Ross in the first inning of his team’s 9-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Reds’ Billy Hamilton Scores From Second On Passed Ball In 9-5 Win Over Cubs

Zack Cozart and Jay Bruce each hit two-run homers for the Reds, and Joey Votto drove in two runs to back left-hander Brandon Finnegan, who served up four home runs.

Chicago starter John Lackey struggled to find the strike zone in the top of the first inning, walking three of the first four batters he faced, and Cincinnati took advantage.

With Bruce at the plate, Ross let right-hander Lackey’s curveball pitch go between his legs, and immediately chased after it. However, Hamilton noticed this quickly and darted toward third. Ross ran back to retrieve the ball slowly, expecting both runners to only advance one base. On top of that, Lackey appeared frustrated with himself, and remained on the mound.

Realizing Lackey would never have enough time to cover the plate, and that he could beat Ross in a footrace, Hamilton sprinted home from third without hesitation.

“John could never get into a rhythm today,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Lackey. “Everything was off a bit.”

Maddon was ejected in the second after arguing a called strike by home-plate umpire Jerry Meals. Ross was at the plate with two outs and a runner on second base and was ahead 3-0 in the count as the Reds led 4-0 thanks to Cozart’s two-run homer to left-center field. The next pitch was low, and Ross thought it was a ball, but Meals called it a strike. Maddon came out to question the call and was promptly tossed.

The Cubs closed to 5-4 with three home runs in the third off Finnegan, including Kris Bryant’s National League-leading 25th blast of the year. Addison Russell hit two homers to drive in three runs for the second straight game. Finnegan allowed five earned runs on five hits with four walks over five innings.

“Today for Finny was bend, don’t break,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He gave up five runs but he didn’t relinquish the lead. He gave us a chance to get to the bullpen. He could have conceded that easy by kind of falling apart, and he didn’t.”

Cincinnati then had four scoreless innings of relief after Finnegan. Right-hander Raisel Iglesias delivered zeros for three of those frames with two hits before Tony Cingrani worked the ninth in a non-save situation.

Despite the loss, the Cubs remain 10-2 against the Reds this season and have outscored Cincinnati 102-45. The Cubs have also hit 31 home runs off Reds pitchers this season, the most by any opponent since since the 2005 Cubs belted 32 against the Reds. Chicago also remains atop the NL Central.

For the second straight day, Cozart had a home run and a double vs. the Cubs. His two-run homer to left field with two outs in the second inning was his 13th of the season — two shy from his career high of 15. In the fourth, he added a leadoff double and scored from third base on Votto’s sacrifice fly that made it 6-4.

The two teams will face off for the finale of their three-game series in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon. Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will take the mound for the Reds (31-54, 5th in NL Central). DeSclafani, who has a 1.78 ERA in five starts, has worked into at least the seventh inning in each of his past three outings.

Right-hander Adam Warren will make his first start for the Cubs (52-31, 1st in NL Central) on Wednesday. He’s the sixth man in the rotation, and made two starts at Triple-A Iowa to prep for this.

PHOTO: CINCINNATI, OH – JUNE 8: Billy Hamilton #6 of the Cincinnati Reds makes a diving catch of a line drive from Matt Adams #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park on June 8, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. St. Louis defeated Cincinnati 12-7. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)